Assessing Play Possibilities

Start from where you are: Assess the play value in your outdoor-play area by asking:

How do the pieces on our play area encourge children to interact as they play?

Are there any pieces that are used more often than others?

What can children really do in our outdoor-play area?

How many different kinds of play can happen in our outdoor-play area? What equipment or props can we add to inspire additional and more imaginative kinds of play?

Where do children spend most of their time on our outdoor-play area? How can we make our children utilize all parts of the playground and in different ways?

Do children have opportunities to change the space?

Assess your programming for play--both outside and inside:

Is it possible to move more curriculum outside or off the tables and onto the floor? For example, when you're working with the children on a unit related to transportation, could you do it outside on a path or hard surface instead of inside at the table?

Determine whether or not you allow adequate time for play. Ask yourself:

Do children have uninterrupted stretches of time to play and discover?

Are 15-minute bursts of activity punctuated by long periods of too much "teaching" and not enough child-directed learning?

Is it time to put play back into the hands of the experts-the children?

When play is processoriented, it helps children discover the joy, excitement, and satisfaction that comes from their own imaginations. When we value play, we value children.